Wichita eagle., 1887-12-27
TIE KISS OF DEATH.

I auoke in Observation-Disclosures so in
ccnse that for u moment | thought was
blind
| remembered, presently, that ! had
been II Tor a long tmc-typhoid fever.
had grown weaker day by day. until. one
summer afternoon Willie the bright SUR
Shine streaned gioriouely through The
window, while the soft wind. perlumcd
with lilac and honeysucEIe, rusJled the
broad leaves Of the magnolia by the door,
IilIed by the song Of the mochinc bird
hidden in the cooi shade Of q cypress down
by the pld5alnC fountain, | fell asleep.
was very. very tired. Ny last recollection
was OF ny wife, whose anxious face, pale
with long and weary vigils at my bedside,
bent over me, her golden hair sweeping
my feverish brow, and hcr beautiful eyes
flied with tears. She kissed ne. and [
smiled upon her with heart full OF love
and gratitude. Her lips moved. but | did
net hear what she said. \ delicious Ian
guor took possession of mc-a feeling of
unutterahla rest Rest, The sunlight
faded from my eyes, my poor wife's pill
full face grew dim or fny sight and passed
away, Tie song Of the mOcking bird grew
fainter in my cars and I knew nothing
more until awoie in that awfn night
ii was strange, / thought, that they
should have eXtinGuished all the light, So
But perhaps the taper that usually burned
at my bedside had gone out. This puz-
zled me, too, Tor somebody always
watched ia my chamber at Hight-the
nurse, Il friend sometimes, or my devoted
wife, my darling whom no fatigue could
keep long from my side. Perhaps who
ever had watched tonight had fallen
asleep l could not fiud II IN my heart 20
blame thGm-humap endurance has a
limit, and exhausted nature L.ust rest
some time. Was it necessary, though, 10
draw the curtains 50 close Not q single
gleam Of light. not the faintest climmer
darkness blacker than the darkest mid
night had ever seen.
And silence, / listened for the ticking
of the clock in the next room, but | lls-
tened in vain. Some one had suggested
that the mOnotonoUs sound annoyed me,
and it had been removed. Yes, that eX-
planned it,
But ] must have been asleep . long
time. The sun was shining whe1 I lost
consciousness, and now IL was night, per
haps nearly morning Why had they a.
lowed me to sleep 50 long Why had I
not been awakened as the doctor directed,
to take nay Incdiciue-the teaspOUnful
every hour, ana the powder, il half
wine glass of water, every three hours /
could not answer this question, and il
worried me. Were they ucClect.nC me, OF
had the doctor changed his method Of
treatment IT any rate was now awake,
ard surely 7 ought To have my medicine.
Besides, terrible thirst parched my
tongue and my lips burned with fever.
But was ] awake Was il not possible
that I dreamed all these thoughts-that |
dreamed the intense darkness, the silence.
and
My God, What odor is that Where
had / breathed that damp, earthly atmos-
phere before filed my lungs aCaip and
again. and a dumb terror BEGAN to on
press me--a vague apprehension wEiCn !
could not account for. The od0r was un-
natdral-it was like the air Of caves and
mines Certainly ! must he suffering from
nightmare induced by brain disorderinA
disease
and my bed, how hard it was-could 1t
he possible that ! Ead fallen upon the
floor, Aud Yet my head rested upon a
pillow, and / felt The ruilicd edge Of the
bed curtains touching my forehead. IS |
lay there, flaj upon my haCG. nay l1l.Is
clasred upon my breast ] smiled t3intly
AT The inGonCrUity If nay SURROUNDINGS,
and mentally commented upon tae strange
stuii Of which dreams are made. Then 1
reCoIlected reading somewhere that the
sense of smell is absent IL dreams. and
M ap0rcheUSious of EVIL. which had par
italy subsjIed. returned with renewed
force.
At this moment the thumb Of my left
hand touched button Il was a cloth
button. Ny night robe was fastened with
no such buttons. II was the button Of "a
coat-somebody had probably rNowA
such q garment over me- 10 keep Inc warm
or 70 dispose Of it until they should re
Guiro ii again auC that peculiar iPtiI
od0r-EhCre did iC come frol2 My thirst
Was becoming intolorable-I must moistcn
fny lps--1ad they must take that hard
substance from under my knees, What
WAS it there for and who pat il there,
But above all things. | must have some
thjD- 10 drink
'-Julia.' How sulieu ard :nullIed ny
whisper sounded.
julia There was 10 echo 10 my
cultural cry.
John, Julia! Robert" There was no
reply. The muse, NY WIFE. ny friend
none Cf them near mr.-cr all slccN!u- so
SoCnliy that my voice did nul awaken
them. Half QetUl.oclEI ! resolved tlat
wou!G try 10 serve myself. ] would tTT
90 reach one of the glasses on the ganle 1t
my bed>iUt-I would disturb nobody.
Some one wouid come presently ana hrilg
a LIGHT
Slowly, and with fear that I might
overthrow some Of the vials on the table,
I raised my right hand. Ny elbow struck
AGAINST hard unyieldirg ST. stanCe-rAc
VIII prob&Ily-the rable nc&s. be II rny
LEFT. And yet, if my memory served r.e
when I lcil asleep my feet were stretched
toward the north and tie table was 81 ny
right hand. Why had they changed ny
positions ] raised rly LETT h2ud-ssly e.
bow came in contact with another wal
Thoroughly ala-wsd at this strange cir
cuustaace. I attempted 10 ST Up-withir
six inches my head came in Violent conta',,
with what might have been q ceiling
With half strangled Shrek / made III
effor. TO throw my body out of its oramped
position-I drew my knees ND and dug
my heels into the floor upoa which ! lay
turned apon my left side and hurle,.
myself against the walls that closed nlc
in. Horror! l could not move foot in
any Crection, Howing Ike a cage.
beast ! pressed my hands against either
side OF my prison and swiftly passed them
from my knees 70 my shoulders. NJ
InaddenlnR suspicious were OILY too Irue,